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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. plane — a tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — the arms race
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a music group
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. file — a document
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. band — a ring
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. content — happy
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com